New method for comprehensive analysis of viruses at Clinical Genomics Uppsala
Clinical Genomics Uppsala (CGU) now offers a new gene panel for whole-genome sequencing of all viruses in a sample, further developed and optimized for long-read sequencing in René Kaden’s research group.
René Kaden. Photo: Heike Kaden
A new Twist-based gene panel for identification and analysis of viruses has been implemented in René Kaden’s research group at Uppsala University and Uppsala University Hospital. The workflow is fully automated for 96 samples and allows detection of both DNA and RNA viruses. It is optimized for whole-genome long-read sequencing, enabling detailed characterization of viral variants. The method was recently published and is now part of the service portfolio at CGU.
– This gene panel is unique in that we can detect and perform a comprehensive analysis of both known and related, previously uncharacterized viral variants. We are currently using the panel in a collaborative project with Peter Hollander and Ingrid Glimelius to study viruses in Hodgkin lymphomas, says René Kaden, microbiologist at the Clinical Microbiology section at Uppsala University Hospital and work package leader for microbiology at CGU.
Current clinical diagnostics of viral infections largely rely on targeted approaches which require prior knowledge of which viruses to test for. Implementing the new panel in routine diagnostics would enable unbiased identification of all viruses present in a sample, including unexpected and previously unknown ones.
Publication
Twist-ONT: Combining nanopore sequencing with the twist comprehensive viral research panel. Haars J, Cumlin T, Ladenvall C, Lennerstrand J, Kaden R. Virology. 2026